Before There Were Shinigami
by Pazel
Summary: Mello is six, Matt is five, and Near is four. Tonight is Halloween- and L's sixteenth birthday. Near goes to his room and starts talking to himself. Or is it a ghost? Who is this phantom and why is he here? How can the boys help him? R
1. Kai

Days such as this made me happy to be six. There was nothing better than a bag full of Halloween candy and a mug full of hot chocolate on a couch full of people. I snuggled under the itchy afgan, spilling some of my drink onto it in the process.

I watched the steam rise out of my mug and disappear into the air. It was warm to the touch and always left my fingers damp. The coziness of the couch gave me a happy feeling; it made me feel, well, safe. It was warm, and I was surrounded by people that cared about me. I always got a tingly, happy feeling when we were all together like this. Even _if _Near was there, too.

Matt's back pressed against my arm as his feet pushed against the arm of the sofa. Beeping sounds floated from the neon orange game he held in his hands.

Near curled up on the other side of the couch, separated from me by a barrier. The barrier reached his hand into my Halloween bag and took out a peanut butter cup. It peeled the wrapper off and pushed it in between its teeth.

"Happy birthday, L!" I said, handing him another candy. "What's it like to be sixteen?"

"Thank you." He nodded, eating the candy. "It's not much different than fifteen, or any other age." He surfed through the channels, looking for something unknown to me.

Finally, he settled on a movie. A girl was talking about some sort of "Captain Howdy" and playing with a strange game board that I had never seen before.

"What's this?" Near asked.

"A scary movie," L answered, pulling the blanket up to over his knees and around his shoulders.

--

Two hours later, I stared at the credits that ended "The Exorcist".

The movie had had a stupid plot, bad special effects, lame scares, and a crappy ending.

And I was absolutely terrified; even Matt was holding on to my sleeve and sitting in a position close to L's out of fear.

I had never seen a scary movie before. Neither had Matt, Near, or even L.

I looked over to L and Near.

L looked unfazed, but I could see Near trembling a bit in his baggy white clothes.

"I'm going to bed," Near informed, getting off the couch. At that moment, the old orphanage's pipes made a strange clicking sound. He jumped slightly, but regained his composure right away. His eyes darted to the window. There was no moon tonight; the entire sky was black apart from a few scattered, visible stars.

"Go on," I urged, snuggling closer into the safety of the afgan. "It's nine, so it's way past your bedtime."

"Yours, too," Near retorted.

I slapped Matt when he snickered and said quickly, "why don't you go?"

He shook his red hair fiercely; I took this opportunity to mock him. We had a short, childish fight as Near took a few nervous steps forward, his footsteps light and shaky. When he got to the darkness of the hallway, his footsteps quickened until his room light was on. He closed the door quickly, but light could still be seen through the cracks.

"He's such a scaredy-cat!" Matt laughed.

"Yeah!"

"Why don't you two go to your rooms?" L asked quietly. We knew he wasn't pushing us to go to bed, he was just trying to get us to see that picking on Near was wrong.

We looked down sadly. We hated getting reprimanded- in even the gentlest way- by L.

"Do you hear that?" Matt asked.

L turned off the television and we all listened in silence to a mumbled conversation. Near was talking out loud; something he was not known for doing. He was usually very silent, and that piqued our curiosity.

Then we heard it. Another voice, one slightly older and masculine. One we had never heard before.

Forgetting about the terror of the shadows, the three of us stood up and tiptoed to Near's door, which was on the bottom floor with the rest of the children, so that assistants could get to them quickly in case of a nightmare, which were common with the orphans. I had had them when I was younger. I would wake up screaming for my parents, although I would always have forgotten what the dream had been about.

"Who are you?" Near's muffled voice asked.

"My name is Kai," answered the stranger. His voice cracked, as if he were going through puberty. He was much too old to be sleeping on this floor, unless he had nightmares for some reason. I wondered for a moment if he were Near's new roommate._ It's odd, though, that he never brought it up_, I thought.

"How old are you?"

"How old are _you_?" Near asked with a bit of hesitance in his voice. He didn't sound afraid, just confused.

"Fourteen."

"I'm four. Where are you from?"

"Britain."

"Why are you here?"

"I don't think I can tell you that. I'm afraid I don't truly know the specifics myself."

There was a pause. "How did you die?"

"I was murdered."

At that question, I realized that I was in darkness, and I was afraid. I clung on to Matt, breaking him out of the dream-like state that he, like L and I, had been lured into by the strange conversation.

L knocked on Near's door. "Near? Are you alright in there?"

"Yes."

"Who are you talking to?"

"Kai."

"Who's Kai?"

"The ghost."

L reached for the doorknob, but the door swung open before he could touch it.

"Thank you, Kai," Near said. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by toy train tracks in the middle of the room.

"Did you open that door?" L asked, even though he knew Near couldn't have.

Near didn't answer, sensing that the question had been rhetorical.

The three of us walked in and looked around, but none of us saw the ghost.

"Where is he?" I asked mockingly.

"He's shy," Near answered, playing with his trains.

Matt took his game out of his pocket and began playing. "I have better things to do," he mumbled as he walked out of Near's room and to his own. He didn't believe in ghosts, and pretty much hated Halloween.

I knew it was really because he got scared easily.

Then, a figure appeared before my very eyes. L gasped and fell to the floor, landing on his bottom.

"Matt?" I called, not able to peel my eyes away from the phantom. When I got no response, I called louder, then louder still. Only when I had called him four times did I turn to realize he had been standing behind me the whole time. He hadn't had time to walk away before this "Kai" had appeared.

"What... Who _are_ you?" L asked. His voice was squeaky and very afraid.

"I," the ghost said with a sigh, "am Kai. And I died in 1952 on Halloween by my mother's hand. You must help me, or I'll take you to the underworld upon your deaths." He ran his fingers through his black hair and narrowed his eyes, which were the color of aquamarines. He looked intimidating, standing at least about three feet taller than I, and even four inches taller than L.

He looked alive. If one were to walk by now, they'd never think he was a ghost, except for his eyes that shined with the light of something obviously paranormal. I had never seen eyes like that, and they drew me in.

We all stared up at him with large, frightened eyes, except Near who continued to play with his trains as though the ghost wasn't even there. He didn't even look up. I, however, was close to tears. Behind me, Matt was whimpering like a puppy in a cage at the kennel.

Kai smiled. It was a terrifying sight, even though he had not a hint of malice in his expression. Actually, it looked amused. "I was kidding."

L stood. "Ah. Well, be aware that there are children present. It's unwise to say such th- Matt, are you alright?"

At his words, I turned stiffly to Matt. He stood like a statue, staring wide-eyed through his goggles at Kai, not blinking. His mouth was closed tightly into a straight line, and he was breathing shakily through his nose. His terrified expression sent a chill down my spine. And then I began to cry.

Ghosts weren't something that I had experience with. I didn't believe in those things. They went against all that science taught! It made no sense. No, I must be dreaming. I'm still under the afgan, my hot cocoa is finished, and my bag of chocolate bars is pressed to my chest in a hug. And there is no such things as ghosts.

I fell to the ground, crying loudly. Kai ran up to me and pushed his hand against my mouth, muffling my yells. He held me to his body to keep me from getting away and screaming more.

"Shut up! You'll wake the whole place! I'm not scary!"

I only yelled louder, flailing in his arms. I looked up to Matt through my tears, who just stared, too afraid to move.

"Stop being such a baby," Near said, completely unafraid of the ghost.

I stopped crying immediately. I wasn't going to be a baby in front of Near! No way! Kai slowly let go of me, and I didn't cry again.

Near stood and walked to his bed. "We'll talk to Fae. She'll know what to do."

"Fae?" I asked, a few quick breaths from crying.

"She's a fifteen year old from upstairs. She'll know what to do about Kai. She's good with ghosts." Near yawned and curled under the covers.

"I'll be gone by tomorrow," Kai said, his words slow and sad.

Matt took a deep breath, gathering his courage to speak. "Where will you be?"

Kai looked down at his shoes sadly. "In blackness."

Near sat up in bed and turned to us. "What?"

"I'm only let free from the prison of death every Halloween 'till sunrise of the next day."

"Why?" I asked.

"Who knows?"

"How will you be saved?" Matt asked, interested now.

"I don't know. I think I have a few theories, though."

L blinked. "They are?"

"I either have to finish something, get revenge, or I'm cursed."

"So we have to help you?" Matt gasped, seeing this as a videogame.

"If you will."

My mind started racing. This would be the first time I stayed up all night! Matt was pumped for it, L stood straight up, and Near got out of bed.

I smiled. "Let's go get Fae!"


	2. Fae

We knocked on the door of a room on the upstairs floor. Rock music floated through the door, gracing our ears with what seemed to be Catholic music. Christian rock?

The door opened to a girl headbanging to the catchy rhythm, her messy brown ponytail swinging behind her. She wore thin-rimmed glasses in front of her brown eyes. Her chubby frame was hidden behind a baggy black tee shirt and light blue jeans with a hole in the seam near her knee.

"Hi, L," she said over the music, which seemed to be very loud now that the door was open. She looked at Near, then me, then Matt. "Hi, guys."

He walked in slowly and turned off the music, cutting off the inspirational lyrics. "We need you."

"Oh," she stated confusedly. "This is.. so sudden. And they're just child-"

"Don't make sarcastic remarks, Fae," L warned.

"Wasn't sarcasm. I was mocking you."

"It's the same."

Fae shrugged at this and let the conversation drop, changing it with a quick, "what do you need?"

"There's a ghost!" I yelled.

Quickly, the girl looked over her shoulder, her ponytail flying with the movement.

"Not _behind _you! In the house!" said Matt, causing her to turn back around to us. Near nodded.

She turned to L. Obviously, since we were so young, she didn't believe us.

"I'm afraid it's true," L agreed.

Her eyes widened. "Nuh huh!"

Suddenly, the television in her room turned on, showing some anime about a host club, or something. She gasped and looked around, her eyes stopping on something amazing. Kai appeared faintly in the eerie light of the t.v.

Kai looked the room worriedly. "Hi."

For a moment, Fae didn't do anything. She stood there, staring at the boy as if she had just seen a ghost.

Oh, wait.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, walking over to him, obviously over her moment of fear. She tried to touch him, but her hand went through his body. She pulled her hand back sharply. "Cold."

Kai looked even more worried. "Is it?"

"Yeah. It's the energy, that's all. It's normal."

"Oh, okay."

The girl narrowed her eyes with curiosity. "Can you see me?"

"Duh." Kai sighed.

"Do you know what year it is?"

"Two thousand eight."

Fae ran her tongue over her teeth in thought. "Can you see a light?"

Kai looked around him. "No."

"How did you die?"

"Murder."

"Is the person who killed you still alive?"

The question took Kai by surprise, and it showed in his posture. He straightened, eyes wide. His lip trembled, as if he didn't know what to say. "Yeah," he said finally. "I think so."

"Where is the person?"

"I think she still lives at home," Kai said, pausing every few words. "A few streets away." Then he added quickly, "why are you asking me these things?"

Fae shrugged. "It's the kind of questions TAPS asks."

"Who?" Matt, Kai, and I asked in unison

The ghost expert looked at us. "They're ghost hunters. Never mind. Let's go," she demanded.

"What?" Near asked sleepily. He rubbed his eyes then looked up at her.

"Yeah, _what?"_ Kai echoed.

Fae rubbed her fingers over her forehead. "Don't argue. Just go."

--

"Are you sure this'll do anything?" Kai whispered to Fae as we neared his old house.

"Nope," she answered, shifting Near's weight on her hips. It was too late, and he was too tired to walk. Matt and I trudged on, not once asking for help. Although, we did hold L's hands.

The ghost looked like he had crapped his pants at her answer, but he said nothing.

We walked up to the door. "Are you sure this is your house?" L asked.

Kai nodded. "I'm dead, not stupid," he said as we walked through the gate and down a walkway.

We walked up three concrete steps and Fae knocked on the door. Moments later, an ancient woman opened it.

"Who are you?" the old lady snapped, watching us. From her point of view, were probably suspicious, especially the one who was looking quite see-through right now that we were "away from the energy of the orphanage" as Fae had put it while we were walking.

She had long white hair that hung in clumps down her brittle back. She held onto a walker to keep from falling in her worn slippers. He pink and white pokka dot house dress looked too heavy for only October.

Kai sighed and looked into the woman's eyes. "Mom? Jeez, you let yourself _go._"

The woman's neck snapped to him. For a moment, she didn't react. Then, her eyes went wide with fear as she recognized the transparent face. "N-no!"

"Don't be _too _happy," the phantom answered flatly.

His mother stumbled backwards. "No, it's n-not true! You're dead!"

"As a door nail," he added.

Before she could slam the door in our faces, L let go of Matt and I and stopped it from closing. "You should listen to him."

The old lady said nothing, only pushed the door further closed with one hand while she held onto the walker with the other. With little to no effort at all, L pushed it open and walked inside the porch, as if it were his own house.

"Come," he commanded to us. We followed, shrugging slightly.

"Leave!" Kai's mother demanded. We paid no attention as L walked into the kitchen for something to eat.

"Ah!" L exclaimed. "There's no candy here."

"Of course there's no candy here!" the lady snapped, terrified. "Get out of my house! You're dead!"

"I, ma'am," I began, "am _not _dead. I'm very much alive, thank you." Everyone else, other than Kai, nodded.

Instead, Kai said, "I'm the only one that's dead. Thanks to you, mommy dearest."

The old woman stayed on the porch, away from us. "Go away!"

"Not 'till you listen to him!" Matt yelled to her.

Fae shushed him, shifting the bundle that sat on her hip. Near had fallen asleep. Matt shrugged sheepishly.

"Mom," Kai began, "I-"

The old woman cut him off. "Fifty-six years."

"What?" I asked.

"It's been fifty-six years since I last saw you alive. Why? Why are you here?" She walked into the kitchen. "Why did you come here?"

Kai pointed towards Fae. "She told me to."

"You, girl?" the woman screeched.

Fae shushed her as Near dug his face into her armpit. "Yes," she whispered, "because I don't know how else to help him."

"You tried to help him? Then it's too late for you!"

Nobody knew how to react to her words. We all leaned back in surprise. Kai took a step backwards, terrified to hear her next words.

"He's a cursed child! Cursed, I tell you!" His mother's voice grew louder as she said, "there's no way to save you now! All of you are damned!"

"Shut _up!"_ Fae whispered as Near opened his eyes innocently.

"What?" he asked, rubbing his big gray eyes.

"Cursed!" the woman screamed as she speed walked into the bathroom and locked the door.

After a moment of silence, Fae said, "maybe it wasn't the best idea to come here."


	3. Curse?

We walked back to the orphanage in silence, defeated and exhausted. Near was clinging to Fae, his eyes closed tightly. Matt held my hand, shaking with fear of the outside world.

"I wish," I started, suddenly cut off by a yawn, "that we knew how Kai was cursed."

"Me, too," Matt agreed, tightening his grip on my hand, his fingers pressing to my palm for warmth.

Kai said nothing. He was still stunned from watching his already crazy mother accuse him of being cursed.

L was lost in thought, desperately searching for an explanation. Fae was still holding Near's sleeping body tightly, trying to keep him warm. He mumbled restlessly in his sleep.

A wind blew, buffeting our fatigued bodies. We had walked about a mile both ways, and, when Wammy's came into view, almost three hours had passed. It was about almost one AM.

"I wonder if Roger noticed," Fae whispered. She stumbled over her own two feet, but caught herself before falling. Near didn't even stir at the clumsy movement.

--

"Are you all alright?" Mr. Wammy asked when he saw us sneaking through the window of the main corridor. Kai disappeared at the sound of the voice. Luckily, in the dark, Watari's old eyes didn't notice. "Fae's light was on, but she wasn't in her room. When we looked for her, we found exactly four others missing, as well. L, Mello, Matt, and Near. Good heavens! Is Near alright?"

The youngest boy was shaking and mumbling still. Fae tightened her grip around his body, trying to warm him.

"At least it's not Roger," I whispered to Matt. Watari was much more laid back, and would probably let us off with a warning and without a strict lecture or punishments. At that moment, however, Roger jogged over to us.

We've been worried sick! Do you know how long you've been gone?" Roger demanded.

"About three hours and twenty minutes," L answered. Fae giggled, then me, then Matt. It was like a chain reaction that finally caused Near to finally wake up.

"I'm going to put him to bed," Fae said, walking past Roger to Near's room. She disappeared around the corner as she headed to the children's hallway. I looked up at Roger's angry face and ran after her, Matt right behind me.

"Fae! Wait!" I called, rushing after her. Matt ran behind me until we caught up. We walked in silence to Near's room. When we got there, Fae flipped on the lights and placed the boy in his bed.

"He's got a temperature," she said, placing her cheek onto his forehead. "He's sick. Be quiet and let him sleep. Or, you can get a nurse."

Matt had made his way over to Near. He looked worried. "He's all red and sweaty," he stated obviously.

The older girl nodded as she ran her fingers through the sick boy's white hair. I left the room and returned ten minutes later with a nurse.

"Let me see him," the woman said. Her voice was sweet and worried as she looked at the young genius. She put a thermometer in his mouth and placed her hand on his forehead. "He certainly is warm."

Moments later, the thermometer beeped to signify that it was done. Her eyes widened at the thermometer, which revealed a temperature of one hundred and two point four.

"I've got to take him to the infirmary!" She exclaimed. "Fae, put them to bed, alright? Let me take Near." She picked him up and rushed away, leaving the room feeling suddenly cold as Kai appeared.

He stood in front of us as Fae was bringing us to our rooms. "I got you cursed," he confessed flatly.

"Don't be stupid," Fae answered, her voice annoyed and tired as she dragged me and Matt to our rooms.

"I did! He's sick because he tried to help me!"

"He's sick because he fell asleep wearing thin clothes outside in October."

Kai said nothing as he followed behind us. Fae brought me into my room, which came first. She tucked me in, but I couldn't fight the whine, "I don't wanna sleep!"

"Why?" she asked sweetly, her voice hiding a hint of annoyance. She was tired; I could tell.

"That old lady!"

"Me, too!" Matt cried as he peered from behind Fae's leg.

Kai made a sad grumbling noise, but said nothing.

"Why don't you two sleep together?" Fae offered, rubbing her temples.

"Ew!" Matt exclaimed. "We're not gay!"

"Then sleep alone!" she snapped, dragging Matt to his room.

"No!" Matt yelled. He pulled away from her grasp and climbed into my bed. "I'll stay." He grabbed onto my arm.

I was just as afraid, but I did my best not to act it.

I closed my eyes tightly and fell asleep.

--

That night, I woke up once. I knew Matt was still in my room because of the light snoring sound from behind me, but I didn't turn. I looked at the clock groggily. It read 5:23 AM. My eyes closed, and I heard was a disembodied voice whispering the words "They're forever cursed."

My eyes snapped open and I bolted upright. "Hello?" I whispered.

No reply.

I shook my head. It must have been a dream. I looked over to see Matt curled up in a ball facing away from me. I snuggled back under the covers and buried my head in his back, afraid. I fell back asleep, my frightened heart beating madly as I listened to whispers of spirits that haunted the orphanage.

--

In the morning, Matt shook me awake. I found that funny; I always woke before him.

"Mello! Hey, Mello!" he whispered as he shook my shoulders. "It's lunchtime, I think."

"Lunch?" I asked as I opened my eyes. The room was bright with sunlight, and I automatically squinted.

Matt nodded and pulled me to the cafeteria. When we arrived, Fae was sitting with L, talking softly about something. Matt and I got a sandwich and went to sit with them.

"...really sick, apparently," Fae was saying as our food trays hit the table. "So, I don't know what to do."

L nodded at her statement. "Well, he's a very young boy. I'm not surprised that he caught a fever."

"What? Near?" I asked, taking a bite of my sandwich to humor the cafeteria workers. "He'll be fine!"

Fae frowned, and L said, "he's very sick. They took him to the hospital this morning."

Matt's sandwich was half gone already. "We all get sick."

"True," I replied, taking out a chocolate bar.

Fae sighed. "What if it has to do with the curse?"

"Be sensible, Fae. You're capable of that," L said as he popped a sweet into his mouth.

"The paranormal isn't sensible, L. And We're dealing with a ghost, remember?"

"Touch_é,_" I mumbled into my sandwich, examining it.

Fae turned to me, then to L. "So, that could be a possibility, don't you think?"

L bit his thumb as he searched for a response, but it was Matt who spoke. "There's always a possibility."


	4. The Curse Begins

The day went by, and soon night came; we sat in Near's room in a circle on the floor. We were all wondering the same thing: How can we save Kai?

"Kai?" I called after a long time of waiting.

Suddenly, L's eyes widened with realization. "He's gone."

"What?" Fae exclaimed.

"Gone!" I echoed, as I remembered Kai's words, "I'm only let free from the prison of death every Halloween 'till sunrise of the next day."

"Then what are we going to do?" Matt asked bewildered.

"There's nothing we can do other than attempt to figure out a way to help him by next Halloween. I don't know what to do other than that, it's not as if we have the resources to find much about such a touchy subject," L explained, looking at Fae with a waiting expression.

"I'm not the paranormal encyclopedia, L. It's not like I know things that even experts don't." Fae put her hands on her hips as L sighed.

"I suppose you're right," L said sadly. "So, we must think of a way to save Kai by next year."

--

A year passed, taking us into L's seventeenth year, Fae's sixteenth, my seventh, Matt's sixth, and Near's fifth.

The year went by quickly, and I looked back on the day we met Kai so long ago. In the year since last Halloween, we had spent most of our time together, working to find an answer to an unsolvable problem. Fae worked the hardest, researching on the internet and in books, some of the time with L by her side. Usually, she would just report back to him, since he was so busy being trained as a detective. Matt and I looked at comic books with ghosts in them, but the paranormal books didn't interest either of us very much. Near did his best by asking Roger for money whenever we needed it for books and for the fees when we visited psychics.

Near, Matt, and I did our best to understand the paranormal world, but it was confusing even for geniuses. We would listen to the conversations Fae and L held, and added our own thoughts here and there, but we weren't always a big help. Although we tried our best, we had nothing between the five of us.

"D'you think he'll come back?" I wondered as I fidgeted anxiously on L's bed. Matt sat next to me and Near was sprawled on his stomach at the end of the large mattress. Fae sat in a chair and L was on the floor.

"He has every year," Near said monotonously. Wasn't he even excited at all?

No, he couldn't be. Not even I was excited. All year, we tried to find a way to help him, and each theory seemed to have a loophole somewhere, and in the end they were all just guesses. We had no way to be sure and-

"What do you mean 'every year'?" I yelled as Near's words sunk in. "You've met him more than once?"

"Yes," the younger boy answered, playing with a lock of short, white hair. I fumed, but said nothing more as the Halloween sun progressed in setting.

"I wonder where he is?" Fae asked, looking around the room.

Near yawned and his eyes drooped. Even though he was now five, he still acted very young when it came to sleep. He closed his eyes gently and began snoring lightly. I was surprised that he had fallen asleep so easily.

"Should we wake him up?" Matt asked, beginning to poke the sleeping child.

"No, Matt," L answered, reaching over to slap Matt's hand away. "Let him sleep."

The gamer pouted. "Fine," he whined.

"Everyone. Hi."

We all turned to the doorway, where Kai stood. He looked the exact same as last year, although my young memory wasn't exactly perfect. I had forgotten his hair color, but I hadn't forgotten his eyes. They were shining light blue light bulbs, and I couldn't look away.

Matt and I waved. "Hi, Kai!" we exclaimed at the same time, loud enough to wake Near. He looked up at Kai sleepily and his head immediately hit the bed again as he fell back into sleep.

"You're back! That's good. We were worried," Fae said, motioning for him to come inside.

"Kai, we have good news and bad news," L stated, getting right into business. Before Kai could say anything, L continued, "The bad news is: we couldn't think of a sure way to help you. The good news is: we think we have a few theories."

Kai nodded. "Nothing more was expected." He seemed happy to not waste any time. That _had_ been the cause of our failure last time.

"Fae has no idea what to do," L went on.

"Process of elimination, L? So I'm the weakest link now? I'll just leave!" the girl exclaimed as she began to walk away. She picked up Near up off the bed and left, headed towards the stairs that would bring the boy to his room.

"Good job," Kai said sarcastically with a smirk as he watched her leave. "Two down, two to go?" He turned to Matt and I.

"I didn't expect her to react that way," L confessed as he took a candy out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth. "She must be spending too much time with Mello."

Matt giggled, but I frowned. "So now what are we going to do? She was the only thing we had."

L frowned. "I know that."

"If you ask nicely, I bet she'll come back," Kai suggested.

"I'll do it!" I yelled. I hopped off the bed and ran to the stairs. I climbed them two at a time until I got to the children's floor. Then I ran to Near's room.

Fae wasn't there, but Near was tucked in and sleeping. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I twirled around.

"She probably went to her room," Matt said, as if he read my mind.

"No, she wouldn't have made it in that time," I answered.

"Oh. Maybe she went to talk to Roger. Or she went outside to think, since she seemed pretty mad."

"Let's go check!"

"Okay!"

We walked to the door. Through the glass, we saw a strange blob on the ground.

"What's that?" Matt asked nervously.

"I don't know. You wanna stay here?"

"Kinda," he answered as I opened the door. I walked outside alone, my knees shaking as my seven year old mind conjured up all sorts of terrible things. I made my way over to the blob, then fell to the ground.

I backed away on my hands and feet, my bum scraping against the ground. My voice was pitched six octaves higher than my normal voice as I stuttered, "F-Fae?" Then, I screamed.


	5. Ending

Matt rushed out to me, bravely facing his fears of the outside. He must have been even more afraid after hearing his fearless best friend screaming in terror.

"Mello! Mello, what's wrong?" he asked, keeping his eyes glued to me, too afraid to look down at the person who lay dead on the pavement.

I tried to explain, but I couldn't even muster out a stutter. Instead, I screamed again. Mid-scream, L rushed out, followed by Roger.

"Mello?" Roger yelled, surprised by my palpable fear. "What happened?" he continued as he ran over to me. His eyes turned to where I was looking and he took a step back and stumbled over his own feet, like a drunk.

I pointed at the body, my entire body shaking with tremors brought on by terror. I had never felt terror such as this before.

Not anything like this. My heart was slamming so hard against my rib cage that every bang actually hurt. I shook my head with my eyes closed tightly, all the while I continued screaming.

I wasn't afraid of the dead body. I was taught to never be afraid of death, because detectives saw death all the time. I realized at that moment that the curse was very real and that it would be coming for me, L, Matt, and even Near

And, at that moment, I had deduced that Kai, our "friendly ghost", was a demon, here only to lay the curse on us out of spite. But why? That was the question I feared most, because I had no answer. Why else would he come back, after knowing that it would just add on to the curse? True, we were willing to help him, but... oh, why hadn't we seen this before?

Matt grabbed me by my collar and shook me violently. "Mello, snap out of it!" I could just make out his demands over my own screams.

I opened my eyes as my scream dwindled down to a whimper. "Huh?" I asked dumbly, shaking from the fear that had yet to cease. I sobbed childishly as my eyes drifted down to my fallen comrade. And then, I got angry.

"Kai!" I screamed, fully aware that Roger had no idea who Kai was and probably thought I was hallucinating… great, just add that to the list of things wrong with me: obsessive, inferiority complex. Now let's add on crazy, shall we?

"Damn you, Kai! You did this on purpose, you evil fucker!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The words scratched in my throat which was raw from crying and screaming. I winced at the pain.

The curse word slipped out in front of Roger, whom I always watched my mouth around, but at this moment I didn't care. I sobbed harder out of fear and sadness. He didn't seem to notice the cuss as he ran into the orphanage.

"I'm going to the front door to lead in the paramedics when they get here. Don't touch her!" He yelled back to us as he disappeared through the sliding glass door.

"Mello, what's wrong?" Matt asked. He obviously hadn't pieced it together yet. I looked up at L, who seemed lost in thought. He had put it together, I realized, and probably at the same moment as I.

Roger pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and called the police. He had a brief and frantic conversation with them, but I didn't hear a single word. I was lost in my own thoughts, wondering about...

Something felt wet all around me. I looked down to see the puddle of blood I was sitting in. It was quickly getting larger, expanding to L's bare feet.

"Wha-" I began, jumping up. "When did she start bleeding?" I looked over to her. I couldn't be sure, because it was so dark, but her head looked like it had been crushed with something. A rock, or maybe a hammer? I shook my head and closed my eyes tight, shaking my head so hard my hair whipped my face. I had to get that image out of my head!

"Not long ago," L answered, stepping onto the grass to escape the liquid. "I don't know how it happened. It's a mystery." His words were slow, and I realized he noticed the odd shape of her head, as well. I heard Matt whimper from beside me at the exact same moment from the exact same thought.

Something that we couldn't explain was happening.

Sirens blasted in the background. My eyes snapped up as paramedics ran through the door led by Roger. They rushed over to her and checked her pulse. In the darkness, it was impossible to see the looks on their faces, but I could picture them perfectly: amazement at the situation would soon turn into sadness for such a young life lost. I drew in a sharp breath to keep myself from vomiting.

I would never succeed L, who would go on to be a detective someday, if I couldn't control myself!

They carried her away through a stretcher, a blood-stained sheet covering her entire body. Curious faces looked out through the windows of the orphanage. Only Near's window didn't hold a face. And, although we were rivals, that terrified me. Had something happened to Near, too?

My eyes widened at the thought. I picked myself up and, before I knew it, I was running as fast as I could go towards his room. I heard two sets of feet behind me as Matt and L raced to catch up.

--

In Near's room, I watched him breath steadily and listened to him lightly snore. I didn't want to lose Near and become number two in the orphanage. No, that's not how I wanted to beat him. I had to protect him with everything I had. That way, I could beat him fair and square some day.

"Kai," L called. "Come here. We know."

Kai appeared, a smile plastered on his face. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he began, answering the unasked question that danced on all of our tongues: _Why?_ "Killing someone who wanted to help you? She failed, just like the rest of you. Her best wasn't good enough. She worked so hard, and yet she still couldn't help me. She couldn't send me to the afterlife. I'm still here!" He yelled the last part and threw a figurine off of Near's dresser. It crashed into the wall with a loud shattering sound, waking Near. He flinched and sat up, staring clueless at the scene before him.

"What about us?" Matt whispered from behind L. He clung to the older boy's shirt, using him as a barrier should the spirit get angry.

"You all failed, too, so you all will be done away with," Kai answered.

"Why are you killing off Fae first? She worked hardest!" I yelled. "That's not justice!"

"But she didn't care about what happened to _me_! She just wanted information on her paranormal stuff! If she had actually been doing this for _me_ and not for her own _knowledge_, she would be alive now!" Kai yelled back, his form becoming less and less visible as his anger rose and the amount of energy he used increased.

"Who's next?" L asked simply, his tone steady. He didn't seem afraid at all.

"You next, then those two," Kai said, pointing to Matt and then me.

"What about Near?" I yelled, offended. "He didn't even try. All he did was sleep!"

"But he actually cared. He didn't help, but he had asked me questions, hoping that I was okay!" Kai answered. He walked over to Near and played with his hair lovingly. Near made no move to stop him, his eyes confused. His sleepy mind still wasn't working yet. "My mother died last year. At least Fae was good for something. She gave me the ability to leave the orphanage."

I cocked an eyebrow. "How?"

"By bringing all of you along. I wouldn't have had enough energy to go alone, and would have ended up as an invisible orb. But I borrowed your energy. Why do you think Near fell asleep? He didn't have enough to support me and himself. He's the only one who cared. I'll let him live." Kai rubbed his fingers over Near's cheeks, who recoiled from fear and disgust.

"Don't touch me," Near said sternly as he finally began to understand the situation.

"No matter what you say," Kai began, "I will never leave you alone."

There was a silence. We didn't know what to say, but I was close to tackling Kai for being so creepy towards Near. Suddenly, Kai began talking again. "You know, I wasn't connected to a place, like most spirits. I was connected to a date. Halloween. The day I was killed. The day after I killed my little sister. She got more attention than me, you know. And so I smashed her head in with a hammer. Then mother killed me out of fear for her own life."

I gasped, and Matt clung tighter onto L's shirt.

"You repeated that with Fae," the oldest orphan stated.

Kai nodded with an evil smirk. "Your deaths will be just as tragic."

The sun had yet to rise, but Kai vanished. After his body was gone, a disembodied voice whispered, "you should have been able to help me."

L frowned. "He should be more patient."

"Really!" I agreed. The fears of my own death were long gone, replaced now with tiredness. " But why did he come to _us_?"

L took a peanut butter cup out of his pocket and unwrapped it. "I have no idea."

**THE END**

**That was really my explanation for why the Wammy's boys seemed to be cursed, except for Near. ****Thanks to my beta, Forbiddensoul562, for all the help!**

**Any comments? Don't hesitate to praise or even criticize! I love hearing your exact thoughts on my work. Criticism helps me improve, so lay it on think if you want to. x3  
**


	6. Epilogue

"Yes, I understand," I answered, my voice uncharacteristically monotone. I hung up the cell phone with a beep and sighed.

"Hmm?" Matt asked from his chair, his nose buried in a screen of some game system.

"That was Near."

Matt pressed pause and looked up at me. "Near?"

I nodded, my eyes focused on the ground. I was in the middle of the Kira case, trying to beat Near, and he wanted a meeting? Why now, when he didn't call to see me since I left Wammy's? "Yeah. He wants to see us before we '_do something stupid_'." I looked at the ground. We've been doing stupid things our entire lives. Why did he suddenly care now?

Matt smirked. "And he thinks we'll do something _stupid_?"

I couldn't help but smile at his sarcasm. "Yeah, I wonder why."

--

"I'm glad you came," Near stated emotionlessly, which made me wonder whether or not he truly was _glad_ or if his words were just habit.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered as I watched the boy. He sat facing me, surrounded by a city of dice.

For a moment, a strange thought passed through my mind. Dice were white and black, kind of like Near and I. Mostly white, with a few black spots. Without either color, the die wouldn't make sense; it'd just be a cube of one color. Without both colors, the die wouldn't be complete. Where was I going with this? Was I thinking about the Kira case?

Or maybe was it my own feelings toward Near?

I shook my head clear of the strange feelings I felt for him and got back to business.

"So? What do you want?" I asked firmly, showing that I was in no mood for small talk. Behind me, beeping sounds were coming from Matt's game. "Turn that off!" I yelled at my best friend, spinning around and grabbing his game. Had he been anyone else, I would have broken it without another thought.

He grabbed it out of my angry hands and saved the game, turning it off without a word. He knew I wasn't mad at him; just using him as a punching bag. He knew, although he never admitted it to me, that I had homosexual tendencies, and being around Near made it worse. I noticed his lips curve slightly into a smirk.

That bastard was laughing at my pain! He was reminding me, with every moment that stupid smirk sat on his face, that I was in love with Near!

With my rival. Now that L was gone, Near was secretly my hero. He was who I was striving to be. He took up all of my thoughts. He was constantly in my mind. Every night I dreamed of him, and every morning I'd wake up thinking of him. Every time I bit into a chocolate bar, his face flashed in my mind, reminding me of his strange quirks and his lifeless eyes. I want to make him happy. I want to make him whole. If only we could be a die, black and white, mixed into one.

But I could never do such a thing. We were too different to be anything other than rivals. We could never be friendly towards each other, not like we were when we were young.

I forced myself to frown and snap my mind out of its thoughts. I turned back to Near, who had one eyebrow cocked at my strange behavior. It was a commonly known fact that I was prone to sudden outbursts, but it was just as commonly known that they were never directed at Matt .

"Anyway," Near began, brushing off my tantrum as unimportant, "do you happen to remember anything from when you were six and seven? Halloween, specifically?"

Matt took a surprised step backwards, and my eyes widened.

In all the years since then, none of us ever brought up those events. Even when L died, we pretended like nothing had happened on his sixteenth and seventeenth birthdays. Maybe we were too afraid. Maybe we thought it was some childish dream. Or maybe we just thought that if we ignored it, it would go away.

Maybe we just didn't believe. But once I saw my first shinigami, my memories from those two days flooded my mind, instantly sending chills down my spine as I remembered a friend that died because the anger of the person- if you could possibly _call_ him a person- she was trying to help.

The moment I first laid eyes on a god of death, I remembered L. I remembered the curse. I remembered it all.

And then I blocked it out again, trying to maintain the thought that it would never happen.

"From the looks on your faces," Near said, piling up the dice, "I will assume you do."

I had nothing to say; neither did Matt, who had slipped his portable game system into his pocket and began listening intently.

"I believe that Kai caused this. Had there not been a curse, I don't believe Kira would ever have existed. Of course, I have no real proof," Near stated.

"You're saying Kai caused Kira?" I asked disbelievingly.

Near placed another die onto his pile. "I won't know unless you and Matt die. I believe Kai killed Fae to warn us." At the mention of Fae, Matt and I flinched. Near, however, kept a calm composure. I always admired him for that. "And, his curse caused Kira to be. He killed L. You both know you're next. I think Kira is Kai's curse."

The silence went on long after he had spoken; I now realized the point of this visit. He was worried. I turned my back to him and began walking out with Matt right behind me. I couldn't deal with this, and I wanted to get away. If emotionless _Near_ was worried, then there was a probable reason to be. I just wanted to curl up and disappear until this was all over. And, when I felt safe enough to come out, I would scoop Near up and never let him go.

I wanted to do that now! I wanted to take him into my arms, and maybe even cry from happiness. But how could I do that? I couldn't let my feelings get in the way of my destiny, the destiny that was given to me the moment I met Kai.

I looked at the floor and let out a little groan. I turned my back to Near and made my way to the door.

"Mello."

My feet stopped by themselves at the sound of his voice but I couldn't bring myself to turn back to him. It was like my body was in control, not my mind. I felt frozen. Frozen in fear that if I saw Near's face again, I wouldn't be able to stop Kira. I knew right then and there that my mission was a suicide mission, and that only Near's plea could keep me completing it. I knew that, if I looked back, I could break Kai's curse. But I was too stubborn, and I knew that if I _did _break the curse, Kira would live on.

"Look at me," he commanded. I thought I heard him struggling to keep his voice emotionless. When I replayed his words in my mind, I became _sure _that his voice cracked.

I had to beat Near. Even if I beat him in something so small as not turning to him, I had to beat him. I did not turn to him.

"Don't do something stupid and let him win." His voice was even and cool, but I could sense defeat in it.

"I'll do what I have to in order to kill Kira. I won't lose to you, Near." I said, passion filling my every word. What I really meant to say was, 'I love you' or even, 'Thanks', but all I could do was show my inferiority complex. I shook my head and walked out into the hallway, wishing that I could obey Near's command. I walked through the doors, a triumphant smile on my face.

"Goodbye," he called, his voice breaking slightly.

I looked back through the closing doors, seeing my one love brush a single tear from his eye.

--

"I got you killed, Matt. Forgive me," I mumbled in the truck as I sped away. I watched the little television screen, staring down at my best friend who was dead because of my own recklessness. I wished, more than anything, that I could have protected him. But, I really only selfishly wished this because I knew I was next.

--

As my heart began failing, I gave up, knowing I could not fight my fate this time.

As I gasped frantically for air, I heard a disembodied boy laughing.

_Damn...... it...... Kai_ I thought between gasps that sent pain shooting through my dying lungs. I couldn't think and breathe at the same time. It was too painful. It took up too much energy.

And then everything went black.


End file.
